$2,000 for half a labradoodle: Dog-breeding contract dispute resolved by B.C. tribunal

B.C.'s small claims tribunal has ordered a man to pay more than $2,000 – representing half the value of one puppy – to resolve a dispute over a dog-breeding contract.

B.C.'s small claims tribunal has ordered a man to pay more than $2,000 – representing half the value of one puppy – to resolve a dispute over a dog-breeding contract.

Kathryn Porter took David Loewen to B.C.'s Civil Resolution Tribunal seeking compensation she said was owed to her under a "puppy purchasing agreement."

According to the decision published on the CRT website Thursday, the agreement indicated that Porter would pay Loewen $4,000 to purchase a labradoodle, which she named Pippa. 

The contract called for Porter to keep Pippa in a "guardianship capacity" to accommodate Loewen's desire to breed the dog "up to a maximum of three times" before she reached five years old, after which ownership of Pippa would be fully transferred to Porter.

Each time Pippa was successfully bred, Loewen would pay Porter half the purchase price of one puppy. If the contract was breached, Porter would be required to return Pippa to Loewen, "immediately, without compensation, and without Mr. Loewen having to prove actual damages," according to the CRT decision.

Tribunal member Alison Wake wrote the decision that Porter paid the $4,000 purchase price to Loewen and took guardianship of Pippa in January 2021. The dog gave birth to a litter of nine puppies in July 2022.

After the puppies were born, Porter informed Loewen that she could no longer care for Pippa, and returned the dog to him.